I was having some trouble with my fuel gauge jumping around and determined it was sending unit so I thought while I had the tank off I thought I would check out the mod for changing it to a 19 gal tank by cutting off the fill/vent tube inside the tank.
I know I have the 15 gal tank, there is a part number on the tank you can check inside the wheel well drivers side. Mine is 52018687AB which is 15 gal.
I drained the tank completely and removed it, removed the pump/sending unit and checked inside the tank, sure enough the fill tube and vent tube stick about 6 inches into the tank. I used a keyhole saw to cut them off about an inch into the tank, they are plastic. I have read you only need to cut the vent tube, I cut them both. I believe you could use a razor knife also. I cleaned the tank out and hit the sending unit with carb cleaner, it was dirty, reassembled and put the tank back in.
I put 5 gallons of gas in then drove to the gas station and put 13.73 gallons in hence 18.73 gallons.
I appears cleaning the sending unit fixed the gauge problem as well.
There you have it, 2 hour free mod and get an extra 60 miles range, well worth it. Ive read that your fuel gauge will just stay on full longer until you have used up the extra 4 gallons.
Glad this benefited you. Ford diesel trucks have the same issue and this mod is commonly called a "harpoon mod". Most of us use PVC cutters to cut the fill and vent tube as close to flush as we can. The PVC cutter uses a large razor blade to make a smooth cut so no saw dust, burs, or shavings to deal with.
That is what the mod is for, they are all 19 gal tanks. My base model came with a "15 gallon" you have to cut the tubes in order to fill to 19 gallons. You had to pay extra for the "19 Gallon tank".
I know ive hear of this mod before but i just dont see how removing a tube or two will free up that much room fro an extra 4 gallons or so. oh and by the way, love your stick figure drawing lol
I know my jeep will take 18.2 gallons with out changing anything and those two hoses are still in place (98). I believe the 4 cylinders came with the 15 and the 6's came with the 19.
I believe by shortening it, because it is on an angle you raise the point where the fuel starts to cover the vent hole, which i believe is part of what trips the gas nozzel off.
You could also try parking on a slight incline so the passenger side is lower than the drivers side...
Mike 3303
The tubes themselves do not take up 4 gallons of space. It has to do with when and how the nozzle gets tripped to shut off. You can "milk" the extra 4 gallons but it takes more time to get the last 4 gallons in than it does for the previous 15.
Here is the type of cutter I use to cut the tubes. No mess and makes very quick work in one snip per tube. General Tools 119 PVC Pipe Cutter
On my 06 Dodge I added a vent to the highest point on the tank and put a "T" in the factory vent tube. Its only a 35 gal factory, after the new vent its 39.5 gal. And when filling, it doesnt pop off the gun its actually full!
I replaced the sending unit alone on mine, dealer about 30 bucks....and it came with a new gas tank seal ring. As far as the 15/19 sending unit I don't know if they are interchangeable.
PLEASE HELP. I am in the middle of this mod and managed to break the two plastic clips on the top of the fuel sending unit that are used to clamp down the fuel pressure regulator. Can I do without clamping the fuel pressure regulator down and just reinstall everything or will the Jeep not run correctly? Need help quickly bc my jeep is sitting in the garage completely disassembled.
I really don't see a way to hold down the regulator without drilling holes through the top and I don't think you want to do that. You might have to pick up a new unit. Here is one on e-bay for 14 bucks for a 97. Jeep TJ Wrangler Fuel Pump Sending Unit 97 02 | eBay
Ive heard about this mod & since I have to drop the tank to install my skid I am going to do it.I plan on getting a new fuel pump since mine has 140k sooo I will need to get a 19 gal sending unit,correct.
I would have done that but with 140k on the clock Im replacing the pump anyway so im getting the 19 gal.If i wasent replacing it I would have done like you did & reused it.Oh,I was also told by vin I already have the 19 gal so its all good.
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